Benjamin Howard Reed has been found guilty but mentally ill in the horrific stabbing and bludgeoning death of Deidre Silas, a child protection specialist for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).
Sangamon County Circuit Judge John Madonia handed down the verdict, describing the case as one of the most “brutal and heinous” he has ever encountered.
Silas, a 36-year-old mother of two, was attacked in January 2022 during a home visit in Thayer, Illinois. She was responding to a report concerning the welfare of children when Reed, 35, stabbed her 43 times and bludgeoned her with a sledgehammer.
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Reed’s defense argued that his actions were influenced by a lifetime of mental illness, leading to the “guilty but mentally ill” verdict.
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This tragic incident led to the passage of two Illinois laws aimed at enhancing the safety of child welfare workers. Reed faces a sentencing hearing on November 15 and could receive a prison term ranging from 20 years to life.
